2004 Winnebago Adventurer or 2007 Tiffin Allegro

[gswoods]

I currently have a nice Class C, but it has the TV/entertainment above cab an only a large U shaped dinette. It has become too small for our family, so I am attempting to do an even trade for a slightly older class A. The current possibilities are a 2004 Winnebago Adventurer 33V on a W20 Workhorse chassis with 50k miles and a 2007 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 35tsa on 22,000 lb Ford chassis with 16,500 miles (not exactly a good amount I know). The Winnebago is 208" wheelbase while the Tiffin is 242" wheelbase. Both are in very nice clean condition for their age. The Winnebago does have a small area (3ft by 3-4in) by the passenger foot area that has water damaged wall board. It appears to be caused by an awning fastener that needs to be sealed. The dealer has agreed to repair the water damage.

I would like to hear opinions on which of these two RV's people would go with. I am leaning towards one and actually have a refundable deposit on it until I can do a more thorough inspection, but want to make sure I didn't overlook anything.

Thanks

[Cacique]

On that water damage make shure they replace the panels. Lamination in that area is not pretty I had to deal with a similar problem and it is not cheap to fix

[wildeflowers]

My answer might have been the Winnie if not for the dreaded water damage. I would NEVER purchase any rv with any water damage. Period. I would not trust a dealer to fix it properly, and I would always be concerned about hidden damage, mold and/or delam.

The reason I would have said Winnie is because imo it's better to get a 24k chassis on a tiffin of that size, though the longer wheelbase on the tiffin is a plus. The low miles on a gas engine are also a plus, imo, so I don't understand why you feel that's a negative. Tiffin is 3 years newer, will have solid cabinetry,

If it's really between those two, I'd go with the Tiffin.

[WendyG]

I have an '05 33v on Workhorse chassis and we do love it. Still, if those two rigs are the same price, I'd likely take a newer Tiffin, especially as the other one has some water damage. (BTW, on my 33V, the wiring harness for the power awning passes thru the wall in the area you describe; the harness may just need to be Recaulked, then damage repaired.)

[gswoods]

Thank you for the replies.

WendyG, thanks for the info about the power awning wiring harness. I figured it had to be related to the power awning since the window area was solid and I didn't see anything else that would show up only in that area. I did look at a 2007 Adventurer 35u with power awning that had the same spot damaged by moisture.

[WendyG]

Originally Posted by gswoods

Thank you for the replies.

WendyG, thanks for the info about the power awning wiring harness. I figured it had to be related to the power awning since the window area was solid and I didn't see anything else that would show up only in that area. I did look at a 2007 Adventurer 35u with power awning that had the same spot damaged by moisture.

At least on mine, it is an easy spot to check...one can see my awning wire harness penetration by deploying awning, removing two screws and sliding down the metal cover at the bottom of the forward anchor arm. I check that spot during my regular sealant check.

Also if you decide to go for a Winnebago, a important sealant joint to check is the fiberglass roof cove to sidewall; though failure of that sealant does not typically cause water to intrude into interior, that joint is critical to roof integrity.

[tmw188]

Tiffin

[Charlie 5320]

I'm a workhorse fan, but my choise between those two would be the Tiffin hands down.

[gswoods]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up buying the Tiffin. Drove it 3 hours home on a day with 10-20 mph winds and on/off Florida storms. It handled great. Much better than the class C that I drove down to trade. I was originally wanting something on a Workhorse chassis, but the Tiffin on the F53 chassis has me quite satisfied.

[WendyG]

Congratulations and enjoy your purchase.